Picture this – your company’s phone is ringing off the hook. It could be a potential customer calling up to inquire about a product. Or an existing customer is trying to book an appointment. Or worse, a dissatisfied customer looking to resolve a grievance. But no one is there to answer the phone because your office hours are 9 to 5 and you aren’t there! This is where round-the-clock customer service can come in handy.

It is undeniable that companies lose a lot of business if their customer service is not responsive. Whether you are a small business or a big conglomerate, having a customer service team is a must. More so in today’s digital age, where companies are transforming from brick-and-mortar offices to online setups. Having a portal where your customers can directly interact with you is something that can prove beneficial for your business.

In this article, we look at the reasons why investing in your customer service team can be a fruitful initiative for your business.

Listed below are the benefits you can reap on providing customer service round-the-clock:

1. Gain Valuable Insights

As a company, you envision your brand a certain way. But what matters is how your customers perceive it. For example, if you own an athletic wear company you might relate your brand with fitness, sports and health. However, your customers could be buying from you because they associate your brand with comfort and leisure.

When you have a responsible customer service team, it can help you align your brand vision with the perception of your customers. They can offer deep insights including what the customers think and expect from your brand, which can improve your products and marketing goals.

2. Strengthens Your Online Reputation

Many customers prefer connecting with a brand on their social media platforms, live chat, video calls or through emails in an always-online world. Having a customer support team that can monitor your social media profiles and reply to comments, concerns and questions in real-time help build a positive online image of your brand.

When you speak directly to the customers and make them feel valued it adds credibility to your brand. In turn, online reviews can influence the purchase decisions of prospective customers and help expand your customer base.

3. Reduces Your Overheads

Thanks to the breakneck speed at which Artificial Intelligence and automation are advancing, customer service operation has become easier than ever. If you hire an in-house receptionist to handle your customer grievances, the average annual salary alone could cost approximately $37,000 – excluding any amenities.

On the other hand, opting for a virtual receptionist, introducing chatbots, and leveraging tech power, you can considerably reduce your overheads on customer service. Be it live chats or through a feedback form on your page, the customers can see you are working to eliminate the roadblocks from their user experience.

4. Opens Up Multiple Business Opportunities

If you are one of those businesses that cater to a global consumer base, you need to ensure your customers from all corners of the world feel valued. You can’t stick to a 9 to 5 routine based on your home country and expect the other region’s customers to wait until you come online.

A 24/7 customer care service offers support during peak times of different countries and gives you geographic flexibility. This means you can offer the same level of brilliance in customer handling to not only local customers but your international customers as well.

5. Builds Long-lasting Relationships

If you are a business owner, you already know the importance of Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). This metric represents the total revenue that you can expect from a single customer account. When you are available for your customers 24/7, it helps immensely to improve this CLV metric.

The 24/7 availability can be achieved by using various available tools and services, such as chatbots, 24 hour answering service, outsourced around-the-clock support, and so on.

The happier your customers are with your brand, the more business you get from them i.e., the more money they invest in buying your products/services. If nothing else, happy customers are a good source of word-of-mouth publicity, which can help you attract new customers and elevate your business to the next level.

6. Gives You A Competitive Edge

According to a report by Microsoft, 60% of the customers who experience poor customer service from a brand stop doing business with it. You can prevent 67% of this churn by resolving the customer’s issue in the first interaction. If you offer top-notch customer service to your customers, you will be able to retain them for a long time.

The aggrieved customers of your competitors may likely come to do business with your brand if you treat them well and provide what they need. Regardless of the industry your business belongs to, dependable customer service can make your brand stand above the rest.

7. Boosts Your Revenue

Every time a customer contacts you, it’s an opportunity to make a sale. Of course, your primary concern should be to address the customer’s concerns and leave them satisfied. But a well-trained customer service team knows how to engage the customers and attempt to make sales. They can efficiently turn the conversation to other products or services that can meet the customer’s needs.

Imagine all the unlocked opportunities that a business throws away when it is not available for its customers. If nothing else, constructive feedback from the client can also help you plan your next marketing strategy and save on irrelevant expenses.

Key Takeaway

Unfailing customer service can be the differentiator for your company. When you make yourself available to your customers 24/7, you tell them that they are your highest priority. This increases customer satisfaction, and your customers end up staying loyal to you for a long time. For global businesses, a day-and-night customer service team can effectively handle customer inquiries from different regions and treat all customers at par.

If you want to gain an edge over your competitors, revolutionize the way your company works and build a positive online reputation, dependable customer service is what you need.